Meet the Frogs!

They may look the same to some, but here are the three main visitors to the pond

This bigger one may be responcible for the frog spawn - then one of you will tell me that this is actually a male!

If I'm sounding abit over the top with these frogs please forgive me, but I've waited nearly four years for the pond to be accepted by the wildlife. I felt like a property developer who couldn't sell his flats and had squatters - the fish, in my case who appeared from nowhere, seemed to scare off other pond dwelling creatures. When I find my first newt I'll probably scare them all off myself as I whoop for joy!

Busy Sunday

Darling Daughter made croissants for breakfast, sadly, although I read the recipe, my hand reached to the wrong side of the ready made pastry and bought short-crust insead of puff! Despite the pastry fiasco everyone enjoyed them, especially DH who secretly ate one after this photo was taken.

With this evidence we found him out!

What you don't know is that they are filled with chocolate - a substance DH cannot say no to.

Chocolate is left in the fridge at your peril.

It is Pentecost, so lots of card flames were made today at Sunday school.

Today was so nice it would have been a disgrace to stay indoors, so I took the ironing board outside and tackled the pile that had been staring me in the face all week.

There was abit of a breeze which made the job interesting as I battled with the fabric!

Sunday Lunch

I thought I'd do something different on the vegetable front and found this recipe in one of Jamie Oliver's books

I had to avoid the olives and anchovies as the children aren't keen, but I did everything else as per instructions

Here's the result

It made a boring vegetable much more interesting although views were mixed on the "Shall I do this again?" question, so I might make this for myself as a main meal

What bit was left was made into a pasta sauce.

I spent the rest of the day continuing to sew the design on the Boutis quilt, having already done the ironing I had the evening to sew, but still it's not ready to stuff!

Furnish

I am off this morning to pack boxes of household goods for the charity FURNISH. Each year our deanery of the Mothers' Union get together and pack around 100 boxes of bedding and kitchen goods for single people and families who have need. For example homeless people who have been found accomodation will be eligable for one of these boxes to start them off.

See you later...

...Later...

Boxes waiting to be sealed

We've packed 97 boxes of bedding - single and double beds, towels, utencils and crockery. It would have been over 100, but we had to double up on some boxes - two lots of towel sets per box - as the charity didn't send enough boxes. All the duvets and pillows are new, as are the dishcloths and flannels - bought from money raised from a Maundy Thursday lunch, but we rely on donations of good quality second hand towels, bedding and kitchen goods. So we did well again this year.

Now that I've done something good, I'm off to do something for myself...

How decadent!

I had to eat it, you understand, as part of Module 3's spiral research!

I'm thinking hat designs, can you see where I'm going with this?

Whoops, I did it again...

well a change is as good as a rest. Changing the blog template feels like going shopping for a new outfit. Does my bum look big in this?

The Wonders of Architecture in Windsor

DH took a day off today and we visited Windsor, didn't stop for the Tattoo at the Castle, although DH did return to Windsor in the evening for dinner at Anthony Worrel Thompson's restaurant. He said he was sitting facing a picture of a pig's head that was on a table, dripping blood and had a tag on it's ear which read "Gordon"! Ramsey, I presume?

So earlier, we had a wander over the bridge to Eton, where the House on the Bridge restaurant stands. I think the big letters on the side give it away abit.

Further into Eton is this building with a split personality - it's Tudor with Georgian aspirations!

We had a walk along the river bank to build up an appetite for lunch and dined at the Tapas restaurant in the old station, they have changed their menu and the set menu for two was different from our visit for my birthday, sadly I felt the choice was not as nice, but we enjoyed it. Possibly as we had some "quality time" together without having to referee the Darlings or be the font of all knowledge to the numerous questions they like to ask!

This building close to the castle just goes to show the extremes we Brits go to to avoid paying taxes - during the window tax of 1696-1851 many people bricked up the windows to stop having to pay! Tax was payable on a house with more than 6 windows, although not officially acknowledged it would be nice if the phrase "Daylight robbery" could be attributed to this time!

For those who are wondering where the patchwork and quilting has gone I have been working hard on coursework ready for the Summer School in July and creating a piece for the Quilt Show in June. I have been working on a Boutis quilt. A technique I haven't done before so it's taking some time as I have quilt the design before I can begin to put in the stuffing that will raise up particular parts of the design.

The photographs are not brilliant as the light was poor and the flash didn't really help as the design is on red fabric with red thread! Hopefully it you click on the photo you will get a larger version and see the detail.

The photos are of the top section which has daffodils on. The middle and bottom sections - not shown - are part of the Welsh Dragon and the Prince of Wales Feathers. The quilt will be called "A Bit of Rare Welsh" and will be in the challenge section whose theme is "Wales".

A close detail of the daffodil

I hope I can get it completed in time as it won't be much good for next years show as the theme will be different!!!

Technology

Having visited Helen's blog From Down the Well yesterday and today, I have got myself organised and opened a google reader account so the I can read all my favourite blogs as soon as they are updated instead of trawling through the list daily. If you wish to do the same Google "Google reader" and you find yourself at the site, just follow instructions - hey, if I can do it anyone can!

One day my Football Hating Prince will come...

Having had the pond for four years now I like nothing more than to venture out at night with a torch to see what's lerking amid the vegetation, so it came to no surprise to find the resident frog taking the evening air. The thing that startled me was I found it sat on a lily pad! I thought this only happened in Fairy Story Illustrations (!) as I had never seen it for myself. Declined to give it a kiss as my Prince was indoors watching Match of the Day - then again if this frog didn't care much for football it might be a different matter! If he's there tonight I'll ask him!!!!

Hiding amongst the Iris stems were two other frogs, I wish they would go over to the flower bed and clear up the slugs that a bent on munching through the vegetation!

Jobs Worth

DH went to the ticket office at the Cobblers ground to collect his, and Son's, Season Tickets for next season. He could have his BUT because he had not brought Son's birth certificate the Lady behind the glass could not give him Son's...

Son, who's 10, was stood next to him, DH had Son's current ticket and the Lady was able to look on the computer details to see that Son's date of birth was correct. They had issued him last years Seasons ticket with the birth certificate and no details had changed over the year other than he is a year older(!) and Son was within the age bracket - 10years to 17 years BUT no ticket could be issued with out the birth certificate - ARRGH!!!!!!!

SO DH now has to email(!) birth certificate to the office and they will post it to us free of charge!

Son has had a season ticket for the last four years and been the mascot twice, appearing in the programme, and he receives a birthday card from the mascot each year so go figure that one out...

It's the Week-end!

The Boys are off to the final match of the season, so after today Saturdays will be a more family affair and DH will be collared to do a few DIY jobs around the house! I have him until August, when the Football Madness begins again. The season tickets have already been ordered - birthday presents for the July boys.

On our last girly week-end Daughter has arranged to go to the cinema with a girlfriend - Made of Honour - and I'll take them and head off to the library to get some serious C &G stuff out of the way. The artists appreciation bit in Chapter 13 is probably the worst bit of this coursework, but has to be done all the same, so it's heads down and get on with it.

I am also itching to get started on the Design an Accessory, so want to clear chapter 13 and have lots of fun to look forward to! Off to gather note book and pens - just like being at school again , off to the library on a Saturday to do my homework!

Final Samples

Here are the final samples before I begin the Accessory, leaving me May and June to create design boards and the hat in time for the Summer School in July. I have astounded myself in how much I have done in the last 10 months bearing in mind how long it took for module 2!

I'm itching to get started on the next chapters but thought it best to clear up the bits and pieces before I do.

Sequin Sampler

The following is a sample of "Trapped Beads and Buttons". This had originally started as my bead sampler but then went big time spiral - see earlier post - I hate to waste anything and loath to waste time unpicking stuff so the top leaft hand corner of the sampler stayed and I developed the design from there.

Covering the beads and buttons with a shere fabric which I then sewed into

The completed Sampler

I really enjoyed making this, the resulting sampler isn't too good in the photo but looks good in real life! I would like to make another but use a calico so that the colour of the beads and buttons don't show through and only the shapes are important. I'll add it to the list!!!!

Daughter's on an INSET day so we're off shopping for spring/summer clothes. It's great being a school girl - since the two weeks holiday she's been on a four day week, what with teacher's strike, INSET day and next week a Bank Holiday. Never mind, there's the dreaded SATS coming up!!!!!